Wednesday, February 19, 2014

The Minimalist Wardrobe

For the past year I have been dressing in rags and tatters, basically. This is because 1) I had a baby and some of my real clothes still don't fit, 2) I shop mostly used anyway, 3) I don't enjoy shopping with a wiggly 1 year old strapped to my hip, 3) We're trying to make it by on 1 income, 4) general laziness. Last week I kept watching What Not To Wear on Netflix and was inspired to weed through the ol' rags 'n tatters and get rid of items that don't fit, flatter, or inspire joy. Yet I also don't have a credit card with $5,000 (or even $500 for that matter) to dish out on clothes, so my plan is to be more mindful of the types of items that I buy when I go to replace the clothes that get too worn out.

My entire goal is to *love* and feel beautiful in every item that I own, but own fewer items. I want to create a wardrobe which can be mixed and matched with different pieces, maybe even stemming from a particular color scheme (not sure on that yet). I ultimately want to have fewer but higher quality items as I gradually add. Plus some thrift store finds which I don't mind getting covered in baby handprints. I may be going to job interviews this year, so it will be nice to have something decent to wear on hand. The goal is not to be a total frumpster.

This is my wishlist. Some items were added not necessarily to further my minimalist agenda, but because I already have them (looking at you, brown heels!). The items crossed off are what I already possess:

Bottoms:

1 pair dark boot cut jeans

1 pair dark skinny jeans

khaki slacks

black slacks

4-5 skirts

Tops:

plain black shirt

plain white shirt

black tank

black cami for layering

white cami for layering

2 floral/patterned blouses

5 plain-colored shirts

colored short-sleeve cardigan

tan long-sleeve cardigan

Dresses:

black casual dress

2 casual/jersey knit dresses with waistlines

2 nice dresses

Shoes:

black heels

tan heels

brown heels

thin strappy, brown sandals (hopefully real leather)

silver sandals

colored flats (green or blue, maybe)

tennis shoes

Accessories:

brown skinny belt

brown thick, fancy belt

silver skinny belt

pretty scarves

jewelry, duh

SAINT MEDALS

Okay, I realize this list is totally boring to anyone who is not me, but it helps me have a checklist written out! Some of my plain colored shirts are on the verge of wearing out, so I need to keep my eye out for some of those.

This past weekend I fulfilled my jean quota. Today I finally tried out both ThredUp and Twice, which are virtual thrift stores. I even added the short-sleeve category in my wishlist just to accommodate an item I saw on ThredUp:

A choir of angels actually started singing when I saw it. Oh, the colors! It's from Ann Taylor, a store which would usually be too expensive for my blood. It came out to about $10 once discounts were applied, including shipping.

The item from Twice was a dress also from Ann Taylor Loft (I seem to be attracted to this particular brand!). I can't find a very good picture of it which is capable of being saved, but you can see the colors are to die for. Clearly I'm a sucker for clothes which tonal patterns. This dress was about $25 once all discounts and shipping were applied. Not too bad, I guess.

Anyway, we'll see if things work out once they actually come in. My fingers and toes are crossed.

2 comments:

I quite enjoyed reading your list and I share your musings on a minimal wardrobe. I try to stick to classics that don't go out of style. I hit the thrift shops and look for good brands and I tell you...they last! I can't wait to try a virtual thrift shop...dangerous girl!!